1. Field
The invention relates to roller skates, and more specifically to in-line and mono-wheel roller skates.
2. State of the Art
There are a variety of roller skates which have been patented over the years. The first type of roller skates have front and rear wheel support frames or trucks pivotally attached to a base plate connectable to a shoe or boot, each truck carrying an axle to which were attached side-by-side a pair of rollers or wheels. The trucks are pivotally attached to the base such that when the boot attached to the base tilts the base relative to the wheels and the ground, the trucks with wheels turn laterally so as to effect a turn. The earliest versions of such skates have steel wheels and clamp directly to a conventional street shoe. The later versions have wheels with resilient tires and an ankle reinforcing shoe or boot fixedly attached thereto.
More recently, in an effort to provide roller skates which provide increased maneuverability similar to that of ice skating and better adapted for outdoors use, in-line roller skates were introduced. Typical in-line roller skates, though not the first, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,614 issued to Malewicz which skates have a plurality of in-line rollers, typically four or five, along the longitudinal centerline of the skates to more closely simulate the blades of ice skates. Such in-line skates can be tilted at a farther angle off vertical than possible with trucks having side-by-side wheels so as to provide greater maneuverability. In-line skates, however, cannot be side-slipped nor snow-plowed as is done to slow or stop on ice skates due to the higher friction between the resilient wheels of roller skates against the ground than the metal blades of ice skates against ice.
Braking of in-line skates is typically accomplished by dragging a brake pad at the rear of the skate against the ground as is done in the Malewicz patent. Alternatives include U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,275 issued to Hoskin discloses hybrid dual braking mode skates wherein the brake pad at the rear of each skate pivots upon contacting the ground and simultaneously engages a roller which applies braking force to the adjacent rear wheel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,882 issued to Mitchell discloses a pivoting hand-actuated rear brake pad which pivots downwardly against the ground upon moving of a hand actuator, rather than tilting the skates backward to drag the brake pad on the ground.
Dragging a brake pad on the ground as a means to stop results in excessive wear to the brake pad which must frequently be replaced. In an effort to provide an improved means of braking skates, other devices have been used. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,474 issued to Conte, U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,094 issued to Pennestri, U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,071 issued to Soo, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,011 issued to Nelson are disclosed variations of in-line skates wherein the rearmost wheel is mounted on a spring-loaded arm such that when downward force is applied to the rearmost wheel, the arm pivots the rearmost wheel into contact with a fixed member so as to apply breaking force to the rearmost wheel. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,748 issued to Koselka et al. discloses skates with the rearmost wheel mounted on a spring-loaded arm but wherein as force is applied to the rearmost wheel as the arm pivots such that a separate braking member or link engages the second to the rearmost wheel to apply braking force thereto.
Other types of brakes have been used on roller skates and other skate-type devices in an effort to improve the braking thereof. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,032 issued to Dettmer is disclosed roller skates with hand-actuated brakes which upon hand squeezing of a bicycle type hand brake lever, a plurality of brake blocks contact the respective wheels to apply braking force to all but the rearmost wheel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,075 to Gates discloses wheeled skate-skis having hand actuated conventional bicycle-type caliper brakes with rubber pads to grip the rims of small air tires. The brakes can also be actuated during the rearward stroke each leg during simulated cross country skiing for propulsion to travel on the level and uphill.
While in-line skates provide forward and backward stability they can unduly limit a proficient skater""s maneuverability and performance. In response thereto other types of skates have been designed such as mono-wheel skates wherein each of the skates has one large main wheel positioned below the middle of the skater""s foot upon which the skater balances and is supported. The single large main wheel allows a proficient skater to move more quickly and with more agility due to the small contact area of the single main wheel of each skate with the ground. Other smaller wheels may be included in mono-wheel skates which wheels only contact the ground such as for braking. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,010,732 to Correll are disclosed mono-wheel skates which also include a small wheel rotatably mounted below the toe portion of the boot. Other mono-wheel skates are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,224,785 issued to Stevenson, in one embodiment of which each skate has a single very large main wheel located under the middle portion of the skater""s foot, and includes an elaborate hydraulic or pneumatic braking system which attaches to each of the skater""s legs which is actuated by flexing the skater""s legs. A smaller brake wheel is pivotally mounted behind the main wheel on an arm which pivots toward the main wheel upon applying downward force to the brake wheel such that the oppositely travelling outer surfaces of each contact the other to provide braking force to both wheels.
Other mono-wheel roller skates include those in U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,110 issued to Williamson which discloses mono-wheel skates having bicycle-type caliper brakes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,451 issued to Scheck, Sr. which discloses mono-wheel skates having hand actuated disk brakes operated by a single bicycle-type hand brake lever mounted on a belt around the skater""s waist, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,751 issued to Shinmura which discloses a pair of mono-wheeled devices, each having a short handlebar attached to a support frame thereof similar to walking stilts with the respective mono-wheels each having a drum-type brake which is operated by a hand actuator on the respective handlebar. A one-way clutch can also be used such that the mono-wheels can rotate only in the forward rotational direction.
Various types of suspension systems have been used on roller skates in an effort to provide a more pleasant ride for the skater. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,244 issued to Allison is disclosed two-wheeled in-line skates having a pair of respective short beams supporting a wheel at each end thereof. The beams are pivotally mounted intermediate the wheels to the ends of an elongate main beam which is pivotally mounted at the center thereof to a support frame affixed to a skate boot. A resilient means mounted thereto resists movement of the beams from horizontal for skater balance and stability. Also, the previously mentioned Soo Patent discloses a pair of short beams similar to those in Allison supporting a wheel at both ends thereof. Each short beam, however, is pivotally mounted intermediate the pairs of wheels directly to a support frame connected to a boot.
Other types of roller skates have been patented which have various distinctive features. For example U.S. Pat. No. 2,412,290 issued to O. G. Rieske discloses in-line roller skates having a plurality of wheels the outer surfaces of which are grooved to accept a continuous belt which extends around the wheels and which supported in the grooves in a similar manner to a tank tread. The purpose of the belt is to prevent scuffing of the floor surface. Another such distinctive feature is the use of toe protectors on roller skates. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,887 issued to Rice et al. is disclosed roller skates having a toe protector at the toe of the boot to prevent scuffing of the toe of the skate boot.
Various connection and disconnect mechanisms have been used on roller skates and ice skates to allow conversion of roller skates into ice skates and vice-versa. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,385 issued to Olson discloses skates each of which have a boot attached to a support frame having an elongate channel therethrough. An elongate beam supporting a plurality of wheels can be inserted into the channel and locked therein so as to comprise in-line roller skates. Likewise, an elongate ice skate blade can be used in place of the beam with wheels so as to comprise ice skates. The locking is provided for by a cam-lock which retains the ice blade and the beam with wheels in position. U.S. Pat. 5,193,827 issued to Olson discloses skates which have boots the bottom of each which have an attached front plate having a pair of downwardly dependent notched plates which engage protuberances at the top front of a support frame and an attached rear plate having a hole which is engaged by a rotary cam-lock on the support frame to releasibly hold the rear plate to the support frame. The various support frames include those for in-line roller skates and a separate support frame for ice skates. Other connection and disconnect mechanisms have been used on roller skates and ice skates such as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,675 issued to Olson et al. which discloses skates having boots the bottom of each of which has an attached front and rear plate both of which plates including spaced inwardly directed tongue portions which engage longitudinally extending front and rear grooved portions of in-line roller skate support frames and ice skate support frames. A rear bolt extends into the rear portion of the support frames and threads into the rear boot plates to retain the support frames to the boot plates. U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,265 issued to Ruth discloses skates which have boots with a wide I-beam plate attached to the bottom of each which removably attach to attach to roller skate support frames and ice skate support frames having complimentary channels which mate with the I-beam plates. A plurality of screws extend laterally through the channels against the I-beam to lock the channels to the I-beam.
Finally, German Patent DE4222326A1 discloses skates which have plastic boots and plastic support frames which accept both a plurality of wheels so as to comprise an in-line skate and which accept an ice skate blades. The plastic support frames attach to the plastic boots by means of an elongate angled key on the bottom of each boot which slidingly engages a matching keyway at the top of each support frame. The respective keys and keyways are locked in place by means of bolts extending upwardly through the support frame which thread into the bottom of the boot.
According to the invention, multi-functional roller skates, a first embodiment of which comprises mono-wheel skates having a boot connectable to a support frame thereof to which one large diameter main wheel is connected which supports the weight of skater. The main wheel is typically pivotally mounted to the support frame by means of a spring-loaded pivot arm, and includes a resilient tire, both of which absorb bumps and ruts in the surface of the ground particularly for off-road skating. The main wheel can include a treaded tire for off-road skating, a rail guard for sliding down stair rails, and a removable rock guard which works in conjunction with a built-in rail guard deflect and prevent debris from accumulating in front of the main wheel, also for off-road skating.
A brake mechanism comprising a brake actuation wheel having a resilient outer tire is pivotally mounted to the support frame behind the main wheel by means of a spring-loaded arm. A caliper brake, typically of the center-pull type, having scissored brake arms which grip the sides of the main wheel is interconnected with the brake actuation wheel. Tilting the skate rearwardly so as to contact the brake actuation wheel against the ground actuates the caliper brake against the sides of a main wheel to providing braking action thereto. The caliper brake and brake actuation arm typically has multiple adjustments to allow tuning of the brakes and changing of the position of the brake actuation wheel for individual skaters.
A toe push-off means comprising an arcuate toe push-off piece or a unidirectionally rotatable toe push-off wheel may be attached to the support frame adjacent the toe of the boot. The toe push-off piece is typically removably mounted and includes a curved front surface of a gripping material which extends from just above the toe of the boot downwardly around to below the ball of the foot and directed toward the lower edge of the main wheel tire. The toe push-off piece allows a skater to use an in-line skating stroke wherein the skates remain pointed in the direction of travel rather than the conventional outwardly angled stroke usually used for skating. The toe push-off wheel serves the same function as the toe push-off piece by rotating freely only in the forward rotational such that a skater can push-off from the toe push-off wheel, such as by means of a ratchet mechanism thereof.
The boot can be removably attachable to the support frame such as by means of a quick-release mechanism wherein other support frames with different configurations of wheels or having ice skate blades can be quickly interchanged therewith without necessitating the skater to change boots. Each boot can be removably attachable such as by means of a horizontal plate affixed thereto having a pair of downwardly dependent longitudinally extending locking keys which extend into a pair of clearance slots in an upper portion of the support frame, which longitudinally slide into a pair of mating locking slots also in the upper portion of the support frame. The keys have angled surfaces which provide improved locking in multiple planes and are short so as to quickly and easily attach to the support frame. A laterally insertable spring pin retains the keys from sliding out of the respective locking slots.
A second embodiment multi-functional roller skate includes an in-line roller skate support frame of similar construction to and in place of the mono-wheel support frame, being interchangeable therewith, and which includes a plurality of smaller wheels typically all being of the same diameter. A drag-type brake pad may be positioned behind the rearmost wheel and the skate used like a conventional in-line skate utilizing a sideways stroke and dragging the brake pad to slow and stop. In a modified version thereof, one of the wheels, typically the frontmost wheel, is a unidirectionally rotating toe push-off wheel of the type described for the mono-wheel skate, such that the in-line skating stroke can be used wherein the skates remain pointed in the direction of travel rather than angled outward thereto as is usually required for skating. The rearmost wheel can also be mounted on a spring-loaded arm and a caliper brake having scissored brake arms which grip the sides of the second rearmost wheel can be interconnected therewith. This caliper brake operates in the same manner as for the mono-wheel skates such that tilting the skate rearward so as push the brake actuation wheel against the ground actuates the caliper brakes against the sides of a second rearmost wheel or other wheel desired so as to provide braking action thereto.
A third embodiment multi-functional roller skate comprising an off-road version of the in-line skate uses the same support frame as the in-line skate but with smaller, modified tireless wheels and a continuous tank-tread type belt. The belt typically extend about half-way around the endmost wheels, atop and below the middle wheels, with the wheels including hubs, the outer periphery of which interact with the belt to maintain the belt in a centered position on the respective hubs. The belt typically has road gripping lateral ribs or grooves on the exterior surface thereof. The belt acts to even out bumps and ruts by spanning between adjacent wheels and aids in preventing debris from jamming in front of the wheels. A unidirectional toe push-off type wheel may be included in place of any of the wheels such that the in-line skating stroke can be used which stroke aids in maintaining the belt centered on the respective wheels by not introducing the substantial side loads induced by a conventional side push-off skating stroke. Such toe push-off type wheel need not be the frontmost wheel since all of the wheels are interconnected by the belt so as to roll together. A caliper brake can be utilized as in the in-line skate wherein the rearmost wheel is pivotally mounted to the support frame, which actuates a caliper brake to clamp the sides of one of the other wheels to slow or stop the tread. One or more additional rollers or wheels may be positioned above the belt to aid in maintaining the belt in contact with the wheels during pivoting of the rearmost wheel during upward pivotal motion thereof during brake actuation. Mating laterally extending ribs or grooves may be formed in the inner face of the belt and on the outer surface of the wheels so as to more effectively transmit the braking force from the braked wheel to the belt.
A fourth embodiment multi-functional roller skate includes an ice skate support frame in place of the mono-wheel support frame, being interchangeable therewith. The ice skate support frame is of similar design to the in-line skate support frame, but having a narrower lower portion adapted to hold an elongate ice skate blade rather than wheels, by means of a plurality of laterally extending screws which clamp the blade in place.